“They don’t have changing stations in the men’s room here,” Trinity said. As a lawyer, she would have spent a lot of time in this courthouse.
“How about I go with you and I can change her diaper,” Beck offered.
“I think that’s going above and beyond your maid of honor duties, Beck.” Trinity took the diaper bag from Ace.
“I don’t mind, really. I have a nephew and three nieces that I babysit all the time, so I’m used to it,” Beck said.
“All right,” Trinity said. “We’ll be right back. If they call us to the courtroom, tell them that we’re on our way.”
Ace waited until Trinity and Beck were out of earshot before turning on Knox. “I thought you were going to stop hiring women that you’re attracted to, Knox,” Ace said.
“Shit, Ace,” Knox said. “Beck isn’t my type.”
“Beck is most certainly your type, Knox,” Ace argued. “She’s one of the only friends that Trinity has, man. You can’t fuck this up. I won’t let you fire Beck when she doesn’t meet one of your ridiculous demands. She will be working from nine to five for you—not four in the morning or whenever you’re crazy whims to work occur. You need to expect things from your assistant that aren’t unrealistic needs.”
“I do not have unrealistic needs,” Knox insisted. “But, I will take your protest of my hiring Beck to heart and won’t do anything to hurt your soon-to-be bride. You have my word,” Knox promised.
“Thanks for saying that, man,” Ace said. “But, if you fuck this up, I’ll fucking pummel you.”
“Understood,” Knox agreed. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from you, man.”
* * *
Present day:
Knox rushed into the casino and decided to forgo waiting for the elevator. He needed to get up to his office to call Ace before his new assistant showed up. Why he didn’t listen to his best friend when he tried to talk him out of hiring Beck Dax, was beyond him. Sure, she was a kick-ass assistant and he was lucky to have her in his office, but all he could think about was fucking her over his desk—making him realize that hiring the sexy redhead was a huge mistake.
He took the steps two at a time and was almost to his office just in time to run into Beck, who was stepping off of the elevator. “Fuck,” he grumbled, wrapping his arms around her to help right her. She nearly toppled over him as he pushed his way into the hallway from the stairwell.
“I’m so sorry, Mr. Heart,” she breathed, pulling her purse back up onto her shoulder. “I didn’t see you there.”
“No, it’s totally my fault, Beck. I thought we agreed that you’re going to call me Knox,” he reminded. They had discussed several rules before she took his offered job. Knox was hoping to talk to her at Ace and Trinity’s wedding dinner, but it wasn’t the place or time. He didn’t want to ruin their big day with shop talk, so he put it off and had to plan a special meeting with Beck. They met over dinner—which was his moronic idea, since their negotiations over dinner felt more like a date. That was just a week ago and he couldn’t get Beck out of his head since that night. He was a fool, falling for the woman he was going to have to work so closely with and yet remain completely professional with.
“Right, sorry Knox,” she almost whispered. Hearing her say his name did crazy things to his libido. He leaned into her and God, she smelled good. He quickly recovered his senses and took a step back from Beck, clearing his throat.
“You ready for today?” Knox asked.
“I think I am,” she said. “I’m a little nervous about the change, but I’m also excited for the new start. I appreciate you offering me this job. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do after Trinity left the law firm. All I knew was that I couldn’t stay there—not without her. You kind of saved me from wallowing in self-pity while eating endless pints of ice cream and binge-watching reality television.” Her giggle filled the hallway and it sounded magical. Everything about Beck felt magical to him and Knox wanted to kick himself for getting in way over his head.
“Well, I’m the one who should be thanking you, Beck. You’re one of the best personal assistants in the area and come highly recommended,” he said.
“Um sure, by your best friend’s new wife. I think that Trinity’s reference is a little bias and might be considered an unfair advantage by your other prospective candidates.” He wasn’t about to tell Beck that there weren’t any other candidates for the job. He hadn’t gotten around to even telling HR that his former assistant had quit. The job wasn’t advertised and that worked for him. Beck kind of just fell into his lap and he wasn’t sure if that analogy was a good or bad one, but he didn’t care.
“How about we get you settled and then we can get started on our day?” Knox asked. He planned on training her himself, not that he had much choice. His last assistant had quit and given no notice. He had been without help for almost three weeks now. He wasn’t kidding when he said that he was the one who should be thanking Beck—she was a godsend and couldn’t land in his lap at a better time. Shit—now he was imagining Beck Dax in his lap and that was the last thing he needed to begin their workday together. He’d be sporting an erection all day if his overly active imagination didn’t cut it the fuck out.
“That sounds good,” she said, following him down the hallway to his office. Her desk sat just outside of his door and he’d be able to see her through the glass wall that lined his office. Yeah—he was good and fucked.
“This is you,” he said, pointing to her desk and workspace. “I’ll leave you to get settled while I make a few phone calls. Then, we can start your training—I mean, I’ll show you around,” he corrected.
“Thanks, Knox,” she breathed. “I’ll try to be a quick study so I don’t tie up too much of your time.” Visions of Beck tied up and taking his instructions as she sucked his cock played through his mind and he bit back his groan. He needed to call Ace and tell him that he wanted him to help fire his new assistant. There was no way that she could continue to work for him because if he had his way, she was going to be his and Knox had a strict policy about not fucking his staff. He wouldn’t start now, but he needed his friend's help.
Knox locked himself away in his office, even shutting his door—something he never really did. “He’s going to fucking kill me,” he grumbled, thinking about Ace. Knox pulled his cell phone from his pocket and dialed his best friend. Ace warned him that he didn’t know what he was doing hiring Beck, and now, he was stuck. He’d have to admit that his best friend was right and that was something he usually tried to avoid.
“Hello,” Ace said, answering on the second ring.
“Don’t fucking hello me, Ace,” Knox almost shouted.
His friend chuckled into the cell and Knox wanted to reach through the phone and choke him. “I expected your call. Didn’t Beck start as your assistant today?” Ace questioned.